Rail-joint bed-plate.



PATENTED MAY 19, 1903. J. "R. BITNER. A

RAIL JOINT BED PLATE.

APPLIUATION FILED JAN. 19, 1903.

N0 MODEL.

w/mt'gm QIN N TOR f ATTORNEYJ UNITED STATES Patented May 19, 1903.

JOHN R. BITNER, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-THIRD TO SAMUELHEIMLIOH.

RAIL-JOINT BED-PLATE.

SPECIFICATION ibrming part of Letters Patent N 0. 728,190, dated May 19,1903.

Application filed January 19, 1903. Serial No- 139,57S. (No model.) f

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, JOHN R. BITNER, a citi-' zen of the United StatesofAmerica, resid ing at Cleveland, in the county'of Guyahoga and Stateof Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Rail-JointBed- Plates; and I hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, andexact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilledin the art. to which it pertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to animprovement in a rail-joint bed-plate.

The object of this invention is to provide a device of this descriptionwhich will be both strong and durable and which can be very cheaplymanufactured.

Another object of this invention is to pro Vide a device of thischaracter which can be readily placed in position and adjustedupon railswhich are already laid without any change or alteration of theangle-plates now.

in general use. 7

My invention therefore consists in the fea-,

tures of construction and combination'of' parts hereinafter described inthe speoifica= tion, pointed out in the claims, and illustrated in thedrawings. T

Referring to the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a plan view of mydevice before it has been adjusted on the rails. Fig. 2 is a section online 2 2, Fig. 1. Fig. 3is aplan View showing my device adjusted on theadjacent ends of two rail-sections which are secured together byangle-plates of the ordinary construction. Fig. dis a section on line 44, Fig. 3.

Again referring to the drawings, a, represents a metallic plate,preferably of pressed steel. At each side of the plate a are formedwings b, c, d, e, f, and g. Thewingcis preferably shorterthan the other,wings. Along each side of the plate or, adjacent to the wings, is formeda rib or ledge o and 19, respectively. These ribs or ledges 0 and 19extend longitudinally the full length of the plate a, and

each of the said ledges is arranged so that it will come under the outerbottom edge or too of the adjacent angle-plate when the device isadjusted on the rail and form a base therefor. At each side of therespective ledges 0 n are arranged so that they come just below theouter edge .of therespective angle-plates. These grooves greatlyfacilitate the adjustment of the device on the rails, asslight'variations in the rails can thereby be accommodated. i l T In theplate a, adjacent tothe wings e and g, are formed slots r and s, whichextend transversely of the said plate. lThese slots are so arranged thatwhen the plate is first placed in position under the rails a portion ofeach slot will extend under the rails and the portionof-the slot-exposedWill be-somewhat less than the cross-section of the spike at itsthickestpart, so that the driving of the spike will have a tendency todraw the plate toward the side at which the spike is driven.

In the center of the plate a and extending longitudinallythereof areformed strengthening-ribsla and a Thesestrengtheningribs a and c. arepreferably formed by pressing the plate so as to form a longitudinalslot a and the depressed material of the plate forms the said ribs. j

Before the plate a is placed inposition the wings I) andd. are curved,sothat they will conform to the. curvature of the angle-plate on theside of the'rail adjacent to them, and the wing c is bent'upso as toform a stop. The spikes are then inserted in the respective slots 0 andp and when driven into the ties draw the plate a over and cause theWings 1) and cl to bind closely on the angle-plate. The wingfis thenbent uponthe opposite side of the angleplate by any suitable device. Itwill readily be seen that the manner of bending or the side at which thewings. are first bent would depend upon the circumstances in each case,and therefore form no part of my invention.

What I claim is- 1. The combination, with two rail-sections and theangle-plates securing the adjacent ends of said sections, of a metallicplate arranged below the said ends, curved wings formed on the sides ofsaid plate and arranged to lap over the lower ends of said angle-plates,fiat wings arranged to alternate with the said curved wings, transverseslots formed in said plate adjacent to the flat wings and arranged sothat a portion of each slot will be covered by the said rail-sectionsand spikes arranged in said slots so as to bear against the outer endsof the rail-sections and the outer end walls of the said slots,substantially as described and for the purpose set forth.

2. A rail-joint bed-plate comprising a metallic plate provided with aseries of curved wings arranged on each side thereof, a series of flatwings arranged to alternate with the said curved wings, slots formed insaid plate adjacent to the said flat wings and a ledge formed on theupper surface of said plate at each side thereof, substantially asdescribed and for the purpose set forth.

3. A rail-joint bed-plate comprising a metallic plate, a series ofcurved wings formed on each side of said plate, a series of fiat wingsarranged to alternate with the curved wings, slots formed in said plate,two parallel ledges formed on the upper surface of said plate andextending longitudinally thereof and strengthening-ribs arranged on thebottom of said plate, substantially as described and for the purpose setforth.

4:. A rail-joint bed-plate comprising a metallic plate, a series ofcurved wings formed on each side thereof, a series of flat wings,arranged to alternate with the curved wings, two parallel ledges formedon the surface of said plate and extending longitudinally thereof andgrooves formed at the respective sides of said ledges, substantially asdescribed and for the purpose set forth.

5. A rail-joint bed-plate comprising a metallic plate provided with twocurved wings projecting at one side, a third curved wing projecting fromthe opposite sideand arranged centrally between the first-mentionedwings and slots formed in said plate, substantially as described and forthe purpose set forth.

6. A rail-joint bed-plate comprisinga metallic plate, two curved wingsformed at one side of said plate and arranged to grip upon theangle-plate adjacent thereto, a curved wing formed on the opposite sideof said plate between the first-mentioned wings and arranged to gripupon the angle-plate adjacent thereto, flat wings formed on said plateon each side of said last-mentioned wing and transverse slots formed insaid plate adjacent to the flat wings, substantially as described andfor the purpose set forth.

7. The combination, with two rail-sections and the angle-plates securingthe adjacent ends of said sections, of a metallic plate, curved wingsformed on opposite sides of said plate and adapted to embrace the lowerends of said angle-plates, two ledges formed on said plate and arrangedto extend longitudinally under the respective angle-plates andtransverse slots formed in said plate substantially as described and forthe purpose set forth.

8. lhe combination, with two rail-sections and the angle-plates securingthe ends of said sections, of a metallic plate arranged below said ends,curved wings formed on the sides of said plate and arranged to lap overthe lower end of said angle-plates and grooves formed in the surface ofsaid plate adjacent to the said wings and extending longitudinally ofthe said plate, substantially as described and for the purpose setforth.

9. The combination, with two rail-sections and the angle-plates securingthe ends of said rail-sections, of a plate arranged below the ends ofsaid railsections, a curved wing formed integral with the said plate atone side thereof and arranged to lap over the lower end of the adjacentangle-plate at the joint of said rail-sections, two curved wings formedintegral with said plate on the opposite side thereofand arranged to lapover the lower end of the adjacent angle-plate at each side of the jointof said rail-sections and means for securing said plate in position.

In testimony whereof I sign the foregoing specification, in the presenceof two witnesses, this 11th day of January, 1903, at Cleveland, Ohio.

JOHN R. BITNER.

Witnesses:

VIcroR O. LYNCH, G. M. HAYES.

